Former San Jose Dancers Suing Pink Poodle Strip Club Over Pay

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – Nearly a dozen former dancers say they were underpaid and even charged to work during their shifts at longtime South Bay strip club The Pink Poodle.

According to a San Jose Mercury News report, 11 women filed suit against the San Jose club and its ownership saying they were not paid minimum wage and were even “threatened with retaliation” for complaining about pay. The women also said they were treated as independent contractors, which excluded them from several employment benefits.

The group filed has filed a lawsuit claiming violations of the California Labor Code in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The dancers averaged more than five years each working for the club.

The newspapers says the club’s owners, the Kuzinich family, has operated the club for more than four decades.